Twenty-Six

There is an uncomfortable silence for a little while, and then the man of God takes a step closer to his last son. He clears his throat before speaking.

"Listen, son, I think we went through a hard time as a family when this whole thing happened five years ago. You showing up at the Church on Sunday brought home the hard fact that it is time to put the past behind us. First, let me apologize for selling your house, and dumping your things outside. That was bad of me, and an unforgivable childish act. I'm very sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, sir," Chris says coldly. "From what I remember, you've never been sorry for anything in your life."

"Chris! Stop it!" Lois Bawa says, almost sobbing. "We're trying to meet you halfway here, son! At least appreciate the effort from your father!"

"I can't believe this! You still sit on your pompous ass, don't you, little brother?" Stan says in a voice laced with fury and contempt. "You refused to say sorry for all the shit you put this family through, and we have taken the flak for you all these years, and now we're here trying to smoke the peace pipe and you still expect us to lick your feet? Well, I bloody well isn't going to do it!"

"Stan! Step down!" the Reverend Bawa says sharply.

Diana moves close to Chris, and her eyes desperately search his hard face. Tears are shimmering in her eyes.

"They had to force me here, Chris. You know I found it very difficult loving you as a brother when Roland died. But today they forced me here, to see you, to forgive you, and to accept you back as my little brother. Please, don't let me regret coming here!" she says passionately.

"Chris, Chris, my son! Please, please, you're a part of this family. When we heard you've been arrested again, it dawned on me I could lose you again! I begged your father to let us come and look for you," Lois Bawa says tearfully. "All we want is to heal the bad blood, my son. You say sorry to your Uncle for beating him up, and say sorry to your father for the humiliation you caused this family, and that's all. We'll accept you back!"

She tries to touch his cheek, and he moves away from her, violently, angrily, as if her hand is a snake. When he speaks his voice is hard, and his words come out like bullets.

"Apologize? I've paid for my crimes with five hard years of my life!" Chris says almost savagely. "I don't owe anybody an apology anymore! You cut me off your family, right after Roland died, and guess what, I've learned to live without you! I don't need you, and you definitely don't need me! So let's stop this damn charade! You want me out of your life? Good, I'll stay away. And all of you should just stay away from me! I survived alone, when Rodney died, and God knows I've not had any family love from any of you since I was twelve. So just leave me alone!"

His voice is filled with such pain and bitterness that it shocks them into silence. Ira reaches them then. She is holding a jar of cold orange juice and some buns she has baked, and she looks curiously at them as she approaches Chris to give the juice to him.

"Chris!" Effe whispers, and then her eyes go wide with sudden horror as she watched Chris turn his back to her and head for the veranda! And all of them see his back for the very first time, and the moment Ira sees it she gasps with horror and drops the laden tray she is holding. The buns and the jar of orange juice fall to the ground, and the jar breaks, but she pays no heed.

Effe gasps with shock and a terrible pain rips through her stomach. Diana gives a small scream and jumps back, her trembling hands jumping to her mouth. Mrs. Lois Bawa clutches her stomach, and her knees wobble from the sudden faintness that assaults her. Stan, who has been prepared to give another scathing remark to his little brother, stares at Chris' back with horror. The Reverend Bawa reaches out and steadies himself against the side of Ira's car.

"Oh, dear Jesus!" the Reverend Bawa says, horrified.

Chris Bawa's back is a map of the pain, horror and torture he went through in prison. His back is horribly disfigured from flogging, hot irons and cigar-tip fires. The skin of his back was puckered, hot-iron printed, broken, lined and tracked with horrendous imprints.

Tears fall down Effe's cheeks uncontrollably at a sight so hideous. Chris had indeed been in agony! Ira is trembling so fiercely that she almost falls down.

The man of God rushes forward blindly and grasps Chris' arm fiercely.

"Dear Lord! Who is responsible for this? Chris, my son, who did this to you? Tell me! Who is responsible for this atrocious cruelty?" the reverend asks in an unsteady voice.

Chris knocks his father's hand off his arm, and he pushes his father back so hard the man would have fallen if he had not come up against Ira's car.

"Keep away from me!" Chris hisses.

He enters the room, bangs the door, and locks it. For several minutes the group of people in the yard cannot speak or move. And then, still shaken badly, Chris' family leaves. Effe climbs to the door and turns the handle. She hammers on it and calls his name, but he refuses to come to the door.

She sees that Ira is hurrying back to the main house. Effe leans her back against the door, and she shudders as the sight of his mutilated back comes back to haunt her. She squeezes her eyes shut, but still her tears of horror seep down her cheeks.

"Oh, Chris!" Effe whispers quaveringly.

Finally, when it is evident that Chris is not going to open the door for her, she gets down to her car and drives away.